He's Finally Here!

I know it has been a LONG time since I have written, but let's face it- motherhood is HARD. Weird that I am now saying "mother" with me in the same sentence, but although it is tough, it is a lot of fun too. I thought I would maybe recount my labor and Ryan's birth in this post- along with a few of my favorite pictures!

So, labor wasn't as bad as I thought- once I got drugs. ;) Now, I am so amazed at the women who do this process naturally, but it is not for me. On Friday, January 20 our school had "Business Day." We do it once a 6 weeks, where the kids (who had good behavior) make a business and they sell to each other. It is really fun, but exhausting. I was already mad about being late (by 3 days) and so I decided to use the time at school to walk all day long. I wasn't feeling great, but hey- it was Friday and I could make it until the afternoon. I hadn't eaten all day except for 2 suckers that one of my girls were selling, and when I got home I was STARVING...so I ate 2 grilled cheese sandwiches and then laid on the couch and took a nap. Richard was working late, so at about 9 pm, I went to the bedroom and called it a night- still feeling a little sick to my stomach. 

Richard came home about midnight and I think I said hi, but rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up about 1:00 am, feeling a bit funny- but thinking it might be Braxton Hicks (they trick you sometimes...) I figured if I could sleep, then it wasn't labor. I woke up later with the same pains, expecting it to be around 4am, but no- it was 1:10 am. Yes, I think this was LABOR! I woke Rich up and asked if he was ready to have a baby that day! He was so excited, and grabbed all of our bags. We also got up and dressed to go...I wasn't going to look like I just rolled out of bed at the hospital!

We got to L/D, and they put me in my own room- although I wasn't admitted. Then, about an hour later- PAIN started! I had BACK LABOR---they say it is the worse kind. I will testify to that. It hurt sooo bad. I think Richard thought I was being a baby. He kept telling me to breathe in through my nose, but my nose was stuffy- sometimes happens in labor, so I couldn't. He got mad and rolled over and went back to sleep on the tiny couch and so did I. We both were frustrated, and that was not the time to fight over something so dumb! Finally, the nurse let me have MORPHINE. Thank you Jesus! It still hurt, but I was feeling pretty loopy, so it evened itself out. At about 6 am, they finally admitted me and I got my epidural. I didn't even cry! It felt like a weird waterfall down my back. Once that was given to me- I felt like I did pretty well! I was pretty efficient- dilated 10 cm from 6 am until about 2 pm. No biggie. Then doctor came in and said it was time to start! :) I just did what they told me to, and at 3:32 pm, Ryan was born!!!! My doctor and I had been guessing his weight for a couple of weeks- we all said 6-7 1/2 lbs. Then they told us 8.8! WOW! I carried a HUGE baby for my size!

Hello world! It's me, Ryan!